how do u like the ride?
Did some suspension work tonight
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,523
Likes: 5
From: Holly, Michigan
Did some suspension work tonight
Had a little fun with my '99 FRC: I installed a set of Bilstein Sports on the front swapped my front 25.4mm sway bar and plastic endlinks for a 28.6mm sway, metal endlinks and polyurethane sway bar bushings. I also lowered the front five turns.
I did find out something useful. After reading a lot of threads where guys have had trouble with spring bolts being seized, sure enough mine wouldn't turn. I had a jack relieving pressure, had sprayed them with PB Blaster, I even carefully heated the bolt with a torch. No success.
...until I grabbed my impact wrench. I marked the socket and the spring so I could see how many turns I had passed. I squeezed the trigger in short bursts until it had turned one revolution, then snapped a ratchet on there and finished the job. It worked for both sides.. The impact wrench does the trick on seized lowering bolts!
Now all that I have to do is install the Bilsteins on the rear, 23.6mm sway, polyurethane bushings, fix my parking brake, and change the tranny fluid with Amsoil ATF...Then I'm ready for spring!
I did find out something useful. After reading a lot of threads where guys have had trouble with spring bolts being seized, sure enough mine wouldn't turn. I had a jack relieving pressure, had sprayed them with PB Blaster, I even carefully heated the bolt with a torch. No success.
...until I grabbed my impact wrench. I marked the socket and the spring so I could see how many turns I had passed. I squeezed the trigger in short bursts until it had turned one revolution, then snapped a ratchet on there and finished the job. It worked for both sides.. The impact wrench does the trick on seized lowering bolts!
Now all that I have to do is install the Bilsteins on the rear, 23.6mm sway, polyurethane bushings, fix my parking brake, and change the tranny fluid with Amsoil ATF...Then I'm ready for spring!
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,383
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From: The real question is; When you turn your car on, does it return the favor..
Cruise-In VIII & IX Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
Good info.... How much lower do you expect it to be? I'm considering lowering mine but don't want to go overboard. The roads here in Pa are not kind to really lowered cars.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 7,021
Likes: 46
From: enterprise al
St. Jude Donor '08
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,523
Likes: 5
From: Holly, Michigan
I wanted to be conservative, which is why I only lowered it 5 turns. I also wanted to preserve the factory rake, so I'll do front and rear 5 turns each.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,523
Likes: 5
From: Holly, Michigan
I finished it tonight. I gotta say, it is nice to finally have parking brakes...
Ok, on to the good stuff...Lowering the suspension looks surprisingly good for only being 5 turns. Of course, it may settle more, but even so, it looks great. Yes, the Bilstein Sports made it a bit firmer, but not annoyingly so.
I noticed that the steering seems more crisp now, or maybe it's my imagination. I cannot comment on the handling as I had my wife with me when I took it for the initial test drive. I'll find out this weekend, after I get an alignment. Of course, I'll be taking some pics of it lowered...
Ok, on to the good stuff...Lowering the suspension looks surprisingly good for only being 5 turns. Of course, it may settle more, but even so, it looks great. Yes, the Bilstein Sports made it a bit firmer, but not annoyingly so.
I noticed that the steering seems more crisp now, or maybe it's my imagination. I cannot comment on the handling as I had my wife with me when I took it for the initial test drive. I'll find out this weekend, after I get an alignment. Of course, I'll be taking some pics of it lowered...
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